Skydiver dies in air

Sapa

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A skydiver died during a solo jump in Rustenburg on Sunday morning, the Parachute Association of SA said.

Hennie Pretorius, 46, leapt from the plane at an altitude of 11,000 feet (3.3km) and his parachute deployed normally, the association’s national safety and training officer Mark Bellingan said in a statement.

“He appeared to be unresponsive under the parachute and the parachute flew in a straight line with no apparent input from the skydiver.”

He sustained injuries when he struck a building away from the landing area at the Rustenburg Skydiving Club, at the Rustenburg Airfield. Paramedics declared him dead on the scene.

The cause of death had yet to be confirmed.

Pretorius recently completed an accelerated freefall programme and had done a total of 11 skydives.

The death was being investigated and the parachute equipment was sent to a senior parachute technician for inspection.